AGAFAY DESERT MARRAKECH BREATHTAKING SERENE RUGGED
INTRODUCTION
The stone desert of Agafay is located an hour from Marrakech, towards the south-east, with a view of the High Atlas. Even if there are not the impressive sand dunes of the ergs of the south of the Atlas, this desert with a view of the often snow-capped mountains is worth the detour.
A night in one of the camps is a special experience, but a sunset dinner followed by a return to Marrakech is also highly recommended.
If you are spending more than 3 days in Marrakech and you have not planned a tour in the sandy deserts of southern Morocco, do not hesitate to plan an excursion here
GO OUT OF TOWN FOR DINNER
He who has the choice is spoiled for choice, says an old proverb. The same goes for choosing dinner options in Marrakech. In addition to historic restaurants located in charming old patios planted with orange trees and palm trees, you will find dream restaurants on the roof terraces overlooking the medina. They compete with the kitchens of riads, where excellent menus are prepared in the traditional way. The new city, on the other hand, presents a multitude of stylish restaurants of world cuisines and of all price ranges.
And yet it’s worth looking beyond Marrakech.
Indeed, just a few kilometers from the city’s borders, where men can no longer plant olive and orange trees in the rocky soil, the stone desert of Agafay begins.
Agafay rises from the plain as a gentle hill dominated by reddish-yellow rocks and sand.
During the day, the heat shimmers above the stones and blurs the horizon.
The sunset here is a spectacle in its own right and very special.
CAMPS AT THE FOOT OF THE HIGH ATLAS
From east to south, the gaze falls on the increasingly high mountain ranges of the foothills, which end with the passes and peaks of the High Atlas peaking at more than 4000 meters. Until the beginning of summer, these snow-capped peaks reflect in a special way the sunlight burning on the western horizon.
To the north, we can see the soft, bare peaks of other hills, while to the west, the sun seems to be lost in the foothills of the cliffs of Agafay.
During the day, the stone desert itself seems empty and desolate at first glance.
The thin asphalt road winds between rocky ridges and seems to lead nowhere. From this nothingness emerge from time to time solitary signposts with bold names such as Scarabeo Camp, Canyon Lodge or Oxygen Camp Lodge. If the eye follows the direction indicated and the dusty track, the gaze gets lost again in emptiness. From time to time, plumes of dust on the horizon testify to the fact that this track is indeed used.
Appearances of the desert are deceiving, because at the end of the dusty and seemingly endless trails, camps with surprisingly luxurious offerings await visitors.
Along the top of the mountain, with breathtaking views of the surrounding area, tents ranging from single rooms to deluxe rooms are lined up.
Behind the tents, on a plateau, the clear water of a swimming pool sparkles in the sun, framed by a panoramic bar. A little out of the way and with the sense of the beautiful view, a very well appointed tent is set up for the evening dinner.
It’s a spectacular experience to sit by the pool and drink a glass of wine while soaking up the light, the wind and the grandiose scenery.
The sun changes color every second in the sky and on the surrounding mountains, going from the brightness of the sun to the crimson red and pale blue of the first foothills of the night.
The heat of the day gives way to the coolness of the night.
The color show is followed by dinner with original Moroccan dishes. At night fires .
The darker the night falls, the more the camp transforms into a magical, African place, where shadows dance on the walls of the tents and the air is filled with strange sounds.
Mountains constantly watch over the horizon, while a breathtaking starry sky stretches from left to right above visitors’ heads.
The evening ends around a fire, to the sound of drums and bells. A drink in hand, friends and good company immersed in conversation, overlooked by a sea of a thousand twinkling stars – this is the ultimate magic of Agafay, a combination of experience and Moroccan magic.
An unforgettable memory.
ARRANGEMENTS
Arranging a tour is very easy. For dinner with activities such as camel rides, it is usually just a matter of arranging a day or two in advance.
In the city itself, almost every alley is home to an agency offering all kinds of excursions. They are generally recognizable by their colorful images of off-road vehicles, camel rides, quad bikes or desert scenes. Excursions can always be booked with round-trip transportation.
Some camps pick up clients in Marrakech by bus and also bring them back. Here you have to pay attention to the collection location and time.
Payment is usually immediate, drinks are charged at the end in camp and must be paid for before departure.
A private transfer via your riad has the advantage of putting drivers in contact with the riad, associated with the service of being accompanied to the pick-up location.
Camels in the desert near Marrakech, Morocco.
Camps accept cash and major credit cards – app payments are not yet available everywhere.
City agencies often offer cheap packages to simple 2-star camps, but the quality of camps and food cannot compete with luxury camps. On the other hand, everything is included in these prices, except drinks, and even, depending on the offers, the camel ride or the quad.
A package costing €40–50 per person, including meals, transfer and swimming pool, is not necessarily bad, but it is better to carefully look at the comments on the camp offered on an evaluation site like Tripadvisor for example. Unfortunately, conditions change quite quickly, so always have up-to-date information. This low-cost tour is highly rated: Tour with Dinner, Camel Ride and Show.
In 4-star luxury camps, the standard is much higher, the quality of the food is better and the decor is more stylish. These camps are rarely available as a package. The reservation is made directly with the camp, to which are added the private transfer and any activities.
It is also possible to visit all camps during the day and have lunch there. After a camel or quad bike ride, hanging out by the pool before returning to town in the evening is also a great experience.
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE VISIT
If picked up by the organizer, a specific time and location are generally indicated. However, it is advisable to ensure a pick-up time no later than three hours before sunset in Marrakech. This gives the camp enough time to see everything before the sunlight begins to enchant the landscape.
Tour operators generally have meeting points in the area around Jemaa el Fna Square. The trip is carried out in comfortable and well-maintained off-road vehicles, or in minibuses. The journey time is approximately one hour, depending on traffic.
You can book a private driver through your hotel or order it in advance from Getyourguide: Agafay Desert Transfer.
If the conversations with the driver were to run out, which is impossible given the infinite base of stories and myths about Marrakech, the sounds of the radio would punctuate the journey. If you don’t like Berber music, we recommend the Moroccan hit parade from Hit-Radio Marrakech. Often, it is a reproduction of hits known in their country of origin, but in Arabic.
The music from the radio plays to the left and right of the street the numerous construction sites of this city which is growing incredibly quickly. As desolate as the construction sites are, large billboards announce what will soon be achieved here as a new standard of living. And despite all this progress, carts pulled by donkeys, dilapidated bicycles and smoking mopeds carrying up to four people are part of the daily landscape of the street. Just like further afield, outside the new construction zones, the olive groves, orange groves and eucalyptus trees.
ACTIVITIES
Many camps offer activities in addition to dinner.
In addition to private dinners for two people in their own tent, it is possible to reserve larger tents for groups, or even event tents for entire companies and for all occasions.
The camps’ swimming pool is generally accessible to day guests. It is therefore recommended to bring a towel and a swimsuit. Towels are only provided in a few camps. Additional charges may apply for use of the swimming pool.
Among the day’s activities, quad rides in Agafay with a view of the city of Marrakech resting in the plain are at the top of the list.
Each camp also offers the opportunity to take short or long camel rides. Camels themselves are extremely patient and gentle animals for inexperienced riders.
Led by a guide, they walk on the sand and rocky ground with their large, flexible hooves and very sure footing.
From the slightly oscillating saddle, the landscape is once again offered from a different angle.
Imagine spending 56 days in Timbuktu like this…
IN ADDITION TO THE TYPICAL ACTIVITIES, THERE ARE MUCH MORE ORIGINAL OFFERS
How about visiting the Agafay Desert by sidecar? Or with the horse through the stone desert? Or even fly over the desert on a paraglider?
For the evening, the camps offer a wide variety of shows, from music to fireworks to shows with riders and horses.
But since every dinner is accompanied by a musician playing the rattle and drum, and the evening itself is rich in impressions, one can enjoy Moroccan culture in almost every camp.
Agafay is a true desert: as hot as it is during the day, it can be very cold in the evening, especially during the winter months. A warm jacket against the cool night air allows you to feel more comfortable after dinner while contemplating the almost endless sea of stars.
EATING AND DRINKING AT CAMP
Mint tea is usually served as a welcome to the camp. Many camps offer local drinks and fresh juices, as well as Moroccan wines and a selection of spirits. For non-alcoholic drinks, well-known brands are represented, including tonic water. Beer is generally sold in cans.
We generally start with a soup, often a delicious harira.
Then there is a choice of tagine, lamb or chicken, garnished with fruits such as dates and plums. It is accompanied by couscous.
Meals in the camps are divided into three or four courses, traditionally Moroccan, and are served under tents or on covered terraces in front of the tents, depending on preference and the season.
Finally, there is of course dessert, for which the options are very varied and depend on each person’s cuisine.
The meal is generally accompanied by pleasant background music broadcast by a hi-fi system, often very rustic. The music is interrupted between courses by a live performance. To do this, three or more musicians go from table to table with drums and bells and, in addition to the rhythm and songs, spin the pompoms on their caps. It looks simpler than it is, but feel free to experiment for yourself.
As a typical conclusion, mint tea is again offered at the end of the meal, accompanied by some dry biscuits typical of the country.
RETURN TO MARRAKECH CITY
Drivers wait patiently at the entrance to the camp in their 4x4s or buses and are often overwhelmed by European punctuality. The key is to always take your time and enjoy the evening.
The return to the darkness gives a completely different impression of the path traveled. Lights in the desert indicate where there are other camps or other off-road vehicles on the way back to Marrakech.
From time to time, people walk in the dark along the road – their destination seems completely unknown to the viewer – it’s just a desert! As you reach the R212, the eucalyptus trees line the road again and there is suddenly life on the road, even at a late hour. Barbecue stands rush past the window, lit by neon lights. Thick clouds of smoke rise in the darkness from the hot fires of barbecues. Children do gymnastics at night, dogs watch cars go by and cyclists embark on sometimes daring maneuvers.
For the camp drivers, this is commonplace, they know the game as do most passers-by. From time to time, we salute or sound the horn.
Many of the city’s riads are located directly in the medina. As most of the streets are too narrow for cars, 4x4s or minibuses do not arrive directly in front of the riad. So you always have to walk a little to get to the hotel.
The streets and alleys of the medina are safe at night, with a few young men in particular calling out to tourists. In this case, you should politely but firmly refuse.
More caution is needed for orientation! As merchants have dismantled all their stalls and put away the exuberant displays of merchandise, each alley looks completely different at night compared to day.
This is why many riads consider it part of the service to personally pick up their guests after an evening excursion and accompany them directly to the riad.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, the Agafay Desert is a truly unique exciting experience to those looking to explore the famous desert landscapes in Morocco. The Agafay Desert is situated near Marrakech the rugged desert is famous for its breathtaking, desert beauty and serene ambience. If you’re looking for an evening ride on a camel, gazing with clear skies or staying in luxurious camping spots and luxury desert camps, this Agafay Desert provides a peaceful but awe-inspiring escape to nature. The close proximity to cities is a great option for people who want to experience the desert, without having to travel to far. It offers the perfect combination of peace and adventure.
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